Wendy Swart Grossman Presents at Creativity and Cognition Conference 2022: Venice, Italy

Since 1993, the Creativity and Cognition Conference has been bringing together “artists, scientists, designers, educators, and researchers to more deeply understand how people engage individually and socially in creative processes and how computation and other technology can affect creative outcomes.”

Reading about the ACM Creativity and Cognition 2022 conference in the midst of a blizzard in Boston in December 2021, BU Arts Administration program lecturer Wendy Swart Grossman was intrigued by the opportunity to propose a workshop based on years of research and practice collaborating with Creative Re/Frame cofounder Jen Guillemin (MET’07) along with Professor Min Tang, director of the Institute for Creativity and Innovation in Germany. Thinking about the warm community and intellectual energy of a summer conference in Venice also provided creative fodder during the spring semester.

“A question I have been exploring as a class lecturer in Creative Start Ups: From Ideas to Impact (MET AR 789) is how to infuse creativity to help foster supportive, inclusive, safe, productive, intercultural teams,” stated Swart Grossman. “Having the opportunity to present with Jen, alongside Professor Tang, was an incredible honor, not to mention the fabulous opportunity of being invited to Venice to present on the historic island of San Servolo.”

Using Dr. Tang’s data and VICTORY Model (Vision, Ideation, Combination, Team, Openness, Risk-taking, and Yes-I-can Mindset) as a framework, workshop attendees from around the world were presented with research data around creativity, as well as with a variety of practical skills, tools, and ideas to integrate into their workplaces and classrooms. Dr. Tang’s VICTORY model is a method to promote team creativity and innovation. Workshop participants—researchers, educators, and creative practitioners—experienced putting theory into practice by bridging research with creativity training and techniques to build powerful and effective multicultural, interdisciplinary teams.

In addition to presenting, Swart Grossman was able to attend a number of talks by local Venetian artisans, including Piero Dri—a master oar maker who specializes in the fórcola, the centuries-old, uniquely Venetian oar lock used by Venice’s iconic gondoliers—and Giovanna Zanella, a master shoemaker who emphasized that the most important part of creating the shoe was taking the time and investing in the sole. The entire proposal for the workshop, “Leading Teams to VICTORY: Where Creative Theory Meets Practice,” can be found in the ACM’s proceedings, along with other conference papers, keynotes, and workshops on the intersection of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and creativity.

Swart Grossman’s participation was generously supported by the Part-Time Faculty Development Fund offered through Boston University’s Center for Teaching & Learning.